The UKs Evolving Physical Landscape

Question 1

Define igneous rock

Answer 1

The earth’s oldest rocks formed by lava cooling, they are hard and fairly resistant to erosion

Question 2

Two examples of igneous rock

Answer 2

Basalt, granite

Question 3

Define sedimentary rock

Answer 3

Formed by sediments deposited by rivers and the sea

Question 4

Two examples of sedimentary rock

Answer 4

Limestone, sandstone

Question 5

Define metamorphic rock

Answer 5

Sedimentary rocks that are heated and compressed over millions of years

Question 6

Example of metamorphic rock

Answer 6

Limestone becomes marble

Question 7

Outline the relationship between relief and geology in the UK

Answer 7

More metamorphic and igneous rocks in areas of higher land, more sedimentary rocks in areas of lower land

Question 8

Why are there more metamorphic and igneous rocks in areas of higher land?

Answer 8

Higher land is composed of mountains which must be made up of rocks which are fairly resistant to erosion

Question 9

How has the UK’s geology changed over time?

Answer 9

250 million years ago the UK was covered in tropical seas which were home to tropical fish and coral which die and fall to the bottom of the sea to be found as tough sedimentary rocks

Question 10

How have tectonics affected the UKs landscape?

Answer 10

300 million years ago the plate the uk sits on began to move northwards and convection currents began to move rocks from below the sea becoming land known as the Pennines, magma rising up could not break all the way through the crust which formed features like the Batholiths

Question 11

How has glaciation affected the UK’s landscape?

Answer 11

Over 100,000 years ago the top half of the UK was covered in ice, heavy glaciers moved down the lake districts valleys very slowly eroding either side of the valley making it deeper and wider creating u-shaped valley with high walls and flat bottom, land in the uplands is eroded and clay, silt and sands were deposited into the lowlands

Question 12

Define physical weathering

Answer 12

Caused by physical changes such as temperature change, freezing and thawing

Question 13

Define biological weathering

Answer 13

Animals can wear away rocks, tree roots push open cracks in rocks

Question 14

Define chemical weathering

Answer 14

Rainwater is acidic because it contains carbon dioxide, this reacts with the rock

Question 15

Why is the valley bottom futile?

Answer 15

Rivers flow in the valley bottom instead of glaciers which deposit silt and mud known as alluvium

Question 16

Explain freeze-thaw

Answer 16

Rainwater gets into cracks in rocks, freezes and expands which leads to the rock breaking in places so angular rock pieces collect on the ground

Question 17

Why are landslides common in the Lake District (Uplands)?

Answer 17

Rain adds to the weathered rock so it slides easily

Question 18

Define soil creep

Answer 18

The slow downward progression of rock and soil down a low grade slope

Question 19

How did dry valleys form in the Weald (Lowlands)?

Answer 19

During and after the last ice age water in the chalk froze which made it impermeable however as the climate warmed, water seeped through the chalk

Question 20

Define dip slope

Answer 20

Gentle slopes which follow the angle at which rocks were tilted

Question 21

Summarise the shape of the Lake District’s landscape (3 things)

Answer 21

Deep u-shaped valleys filled by lakes, scree fragments making the ground rough, rivers depositing silt and mud to create a fertile valley bottom

Question 22

Summarise the shape of the Weald’s landscape (5 things)

Answer 22

Undulating hills, alternate strata of more and less resistant rock forming scarp and vale topography,resistant rock forms escarpments, dip slopes, softer clays form vales

Question 23

What do they use as field boundaries in the Yorkshire Dales (uplands) and in East Anglia (lowlands)?

Answer 23

Dry stone walls in Yorkshire dales and hedges in east anglia

Question 24

What building materials do they use in the Yorkshire Dales and in East Anglia?

Answer 24

Boulders and rocks left by rivers along with limestone on the valley sides in YD, flint (a crystalline form of quartz) in EA

Question 25

How fertile is the land in the Yorkshire Dales and East Anglia?

Answer 25

Less fertile soil in YD, fertile land for farming in EA

Question 26

How is the land suited for sheep grazing in the Yorkshire Dales?

Answer 26

Sometimes in field and sometimes in upland fells, longhouses and farms built

Question 27

Why are the uplands wetter than the lowlands?

Answer 27

Due to relief rainfall and mountains force air to rise and thus cool and create clouds

Question 28

Why are lowlands warmer than uplands?

Answer 28

Temperatures decline with altitude because as air rises it expands and so it cools

Question 29

Why is there more snow in the uplands than in the lowlands?

Answer 29

Lower temperatures cause precipitation to fall as snow and not rain sometimes

Question 30

Why does rainfall increase with latitude?

Answer 30

As air rises it cools which leads to condensation and cloud formation which causes rainfall

Question 31

Why is mass movement slower in lowland areas?

Answer 31

Land is not as steep as upland areas

Question 32

What is the climate like in upland areas?

Answer 32

Colder and wetter than lowland

Question 33

Describe clay

Answer 33

Sedimentary rock which is weak and impermeable so water cannot move through it so landscapes of this rock tend to be wide, flat plains with lots of lakes, streams and rivers. Found all over Britain

Question 34

Describe chalk

Answer 34

Sedimentary rock which is strong and permeable so water can flow through it, forms cliffs when it occurs at coastlines but is only found in Lowland Britain. Water flowing through chalk flows out as springs along the line where permeable chalk meets impermeable clay

Question 35

Describe granite

Answer 35

Igneous rock which is hard and susceptible to chemical weathering, impermeable and so its landscapes are badly drained (boggy)

Question 36

What are tors?

Answer 36

Features of granite landscapes which are towers chemically weathered into blocks

Question 37

How is slate formed?

Answer 37

This is a metamorphic rock formed when layers in original clay form weak planes in the slate

Question 38

What are schists?

Answer 38

Rocks formed from clay which split easily

Question 39

Describe carboniferous limestone

Answer 39

Sedimentary rock which is permeable and chemically weathered by rainwater. Limestone landscapes have distinctive features like underground caves

Question 40

Why are there lots of streams in the Lake District?

Answer 40

High precipitation means there is a lot of surface run off over the impermeable rocks

Question 41

How can floodplains form in lowland areas?

Answer 41

Rivers meander to erode a wide valley between two hills then deposit silt which has been eroded from the river channel. When there is prolonged and heavy rain rivers flood and water spreads out all over valley floor depositing silt to form a wide, flat floodplain

Question 42

Identify 3 human activities which have formed distinctive landscapes in the UK

Answer 42

Agriculture, settlement, forestry

Question 43

How has agriculture caused distinctive landscapes to form in the UK? 3 WAYS

Answer 43

Drainage ditches are built to drain away water from low lying agricultural land to allow crops to grow, trees cleared away to make room, straight lines on maps are not often produced by natural physical processes so are an indication of human activity

Question 44

What is forestry?

Answer 44

Managing and caring for forests for different purposes such as nature conservation, landscaping, recreation and timber production

Question 45

How has forestry caused distinctive landscapes to form in the UK? 2 WAYS

Answer 45

Many UK landscapes have been planted with trees (increased interception) sometimes in straight rows to make forestry processes easier to manage, UK would naturally be covered in deciduous woodland however some areas have been planted with conifers for timber production which are very distinctive

Question 46

How has settlement caused distinctive landscapes to form in the UK? 5 ways

Answer 46

Settlements grew up where the landscape offered advantages such as good defensive locations (river meander loops), natural harbours good for fishing villages, shallow points of rivers used as fords, springs gave people reliable fresh water, in big cities some rivers and streams run in tunnels underground